1900 - Mary Juan

1900 - Mary Juan

July 1900

Xiaozhan, Tianjin

Mary Juan.

Missionary Jonathan Lees was instrumental in establishing the first Girls’ School at Tianjin in the spring of 1885. The first class was attended by 15 Chinese girls, one of whom was Mary Juan. She adopted the Christian name Mary after her she believed in Christ and was baptized.

Mary’s father was a chapel-keeper at the city church in Tianjin, not far from the Drum Tower. Her mother also worked for the church. Despite her bound feet, Mary often hobbled the five miles (8 km) each way from her home to school every day, so eager was she to gain an education. One of the teachers at the school once described Mary Juan as having “a delicate face and sparkling eyes, with a look of determination about the lines of the small mouth. She was exceedingly bright and had the gift of inducing most people to yield to her wishes.”[1]

A few years after graduating from school, the Juan family moved from Tianjin to the rural county of Xiaozhan, located about 25 miles (40 km) south of the city. Mary’s father soon passed away, but her mother became a ‘Bible woman.’ At the age of 24 Mary was still single, an unusual occurrence for such an attractive girl in those days. Her mother got busy arranging a husband for her, and soon an engagement was announced between Mary and a young preacher from a wealthy family in the area.

In the spring of 1900 the missionaries in charge at Xiaozhan returned to England on furlough. Little did they realize at the time, but when they said goodbye to Mary Juan it was to be their final goodbye in this life.

When the Boxers came to Xiaozhan there was no point in Mary Juan or her husband trying to hide, for the whole town knew who they were. For some weeks they were held as prisoners, with the Boxers hoping their families would pay a large ransom for their lives. They suffered many indignities and tortures, but at last the Boxers gave up and Mary and her husband were released. Despite her freedom,

“Mary never recovered from the strain and horror of that terrible time, and died soon after. ‘She did not die with the sword as so many did,’ said one of her Chinese friends, ‘but at the same time the Boxer cruelties caused her death. She was just worn out, utterly exhausted by the long-continued horror of it all, and had no strength to rally.’”[2]

© This article is an extract from Paul Hattaway's epic 656-page China’s Book of Martyrs, which profiles more than 1,000 Christian martyrs in China since AD 845, accompanied by over 500 photos. You can order this or many other China books and e-books here.

1. Bryson, Cross and Crown, 34-35.
2. Bryson, Cross and Crown, 41.

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